Prompt Engineering 101

With the evolution of these generative AI tools, there’s a new field of expertise that has emerged: prompt engineering. I thought it’d be useful for me to spend a bit of time diving into this field to see what I might learn. Where should I start? How about just asking ChatGPT for some help? – so that’s what I did:

I began by asking:

What’s the best strategy for developing skills in prompt engineering?

ChatGPT responded:

Prompt engineering is the process of creating effective prompts for AI language models to generate high-quality outputs. Here are some strategies you can use to develop your skills in prompt engineering:

1. Practice: The best way to improve your prompt engineering skills is by practicing. Create prompts for different types of language models and see what kind of responses you get. Experiment with different wording, formatting, and other variables to see what works best.
2. Study: Study the prompts used by other experts in the field. Analyze the structure and wording of their prompts, and try to understand why they are effective. This will help you to develop a better understanding of the nuances of prompt engineering.
3. Learn about the model: Understanding the language model you are working with is crucial for prompt engineering. Learn about the architecture, the training data, and the limitations of the model. This will help you to create prompts that are better suited to the model’s capabilities.
4. Focus on the task: When creating prompts, focus on the specific task you want the language model to perform. Be clear and concise about what you want the model to do, and structure your prompt accordingly.
5. Test and iterate: Test your prompts with different language models, and see how they perform. Iterate on your prompts based on the results you get, and continue to refine your approach.

By practicing these strategies, you can improve your skills in prompt engineering and create more effective prompts for AI language models.

I continued:

Please provide a few examples of great prompts that we can study for learning.

ChatGPT:

Sure! Here are a few examples of great prompts that you can study for learning:

1. GPT-3 for Creative Writing: “Write a short story about a woman who can talk to animals.” This prompt is specific, clear, and provides a clear direction for the AI language model to generate a creative story based on the given premise.
2. T5 for Translation: “Translate the following sentence into Spanish: ‘I love to travel and try new foods.'” This prompt is clear and concise, specifying the task of translating a sentence from English to Spanish and providing the input text.
3. GPT-2 for Chatbot: “You are a customer service representative for a bank. A customer calls to report a lost debit card. Write a response to the customer.” This prompt provides a clear context and task for the AI language model, allowing it to generate a realistic response as a customer service representative.
4. GPT-3 for Question Answering: “What is the capital of Brazil?” This prompt is a simple and clear question, specifying the task of providing an answer to a specific question.

By studying these examples, you can learn how to create effective prompts for AI language models and improve your skills in prompt engineering.

I continued:

Provide five more examples.

ChatGPT:

Sure, here are five more examples of great prompts:

1. GPT-3 for Content Creation: “Write an informative article about the benefits of meditation.” This prompt is specific and clear, providing a clear direction for the AI language model to generate a informative article on the given topic.
2. T5 for Summarization: “Summarize the following article: ‘Study finds that drinking coffee reduces the risk of heart disease.'” This prompt is clear and concise, specifying the task of summarizing a given article and providing the input text.
3. GPT-2 for Text Completion: “Complete the following sentence: ‘The best way to learn a new skill is…'”. This prompt is clear and concise, specifying the task of completing a sentence and providing the starting text.
4. GPT-3 for Text Generation: “Write a poem about the beauty of nature.” This prompt is specific and clear, providing a clear direction for the AI language model to generate a poem based on the given theme.
5. GPT-2 for Creative Writing: “Write a story about a detective who is trying to solve a murder case.” This prompt is specific and clear, providing a clear direction for the AI language model to generate a creative story based on the given premise.

By studying these examples, you can learn how to create effective prompts for a variety of tasks and improve your skills in prompt engineering.

I continued:

How about examples of longer more complex prompts?

ChatGPT:

Sure, here are some examples of longer, more complex prompts:

1. GPT-3 for Language Modeling: “Given a list of ingredients, write a recipe for a vegan lasagna that serves six people. The recipe should be easy to follow and include instructions for preparing the ingredients, assembling the lasagna, and cooking it in the oven. Please also include suggestions for side dishes and serving ideas.”
2. T5 for Question Answering: “Read the following passage about the history of the Industrial Revolution and answer the following questions in complete sentences. What were the main technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution? How did these advancements impact society at the time? What were some of the negative consequences of the Industrial Revolution?”
3. GPT-2 for Creative Writing: “Write a short story about a time traveler who goes back in time to prevent a historical event from occurring. Describe the time traveler’s journey, the historical event, and the consequences of their actions.”
4. GPT-3 for Text Generation: “Write a persuasive essay arguing that artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on society. The essay should include at least three reasons to support this argument, as well as counterarguments and rebuttals to potential criticisms of AI technology.”
5. T5 for Text Classification: “Given a set of customer reviews for a restaurant, classify each review as positive, negative, or neutral. The reviews should be analyzed based on the tone, sentiment, and overall opinion expressed by the customer. Please provide a breakdown of the percentage of reviews in each category and identify any common themes or patterns that emerge.”

By studying these longer, more complex prompts, you can learn how to create prompts that are more detailed and nuanced, and better suited to complex tasks that require a higher level of language understanding.

I asked for some more examples…

ChatGPT:

Sure, here are some more examples of longer, complex prompts:

1. GPT-3 for Language Modeling: “Write a short story about a group of astronauts who are stranded on a distant planet. The story should include descriptions of the planet’s landscape and environment, as well as the challenges that the astronauts face in their attempt to survive and find a way back to Earth.”
2. T5 for Text Generation: “Write a research paper on the impact of social media on mental health. The paper should include a review of existing literature on the topic, as well as original research that examines the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes. The paper should also discuss potential policy implications and recommendations for future research.”
3. GPT-2 for Creative Writing: “Write a script for a short film about a young woman who is struggling to come to terms with her identity. The film should explore themes of identity, family, and self-discovery, and should feature a diverse cast of characters. The script should include dialogue, character descriptions, and stage directions.”
4. T5 for Text Summarization: “Summarize a scientific article about the effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems. The summary should include key findings and conclusions from the article, as well as any recommendations for policy or further research.”
5. GPT-3 for Text Classification: “Given a dataset of tweets about a controversial topic, classify each tweet as supportive, opposing, or neutral. The classification should take into account the tone and language used in each tweet, as well as any relevant hashtags or keywords. The results of the classification should be presented in a report that includes visualizations and insights about the distribution of tweets across categories.”

By studying these longer, more complex prompts, you can learn how to create prompts that are tailored to specific tasks and domains, and that require a higher degree of language comprehension and creativity.

Pretty cool – the teacher teaching me how to use the tool more effectively. Some of these prompts are quite interesting to explore. There are even more very interesting prompt examples in Impromptu, the new book by Reid Hoffman and GPT-4.

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Update:

I asked ChatGPT to give me several examples of especially creative prompts I might try. Here’s what it offered:

Sure, here are some examples of especially creative prompts for ChatGPT:

• “Tell me a story about a dragon who falls in love with a human”: This prompt could inspire ChatGPT to generate a creative and engaging story about a dragon who defies the odds and falls in love with a human.
• “If you could travel anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why?”: This prompt could encourage ChatGPT to generate responses that explore the limits of imagination and creativity, taking the user on a journey through the universe.
• “What would you say to a friend who is feeling down and needs some cheering up?”: This prompt could inspire ChatGPT to generate uplifting messages or advice that could help someone feeling sad or alone.
• “What is the meaning of life, according to you?”: This prompt could encourage ChatGPT to generate responses that explore philosophical concepts and challenge users to think deeply about their values and beliefs.
• “Can you teach me a new language or word?”: This prompt could inspire ChatGPT to generate responses that teach users new words or phrases in a different language, promoting cultural exchange and language learning.
• “What is your favorite memory from your childhood?”: This prompt could encourage ChatGPT to generate responses that evoke feelings of nostalgia and warmth, inspiring users to reflect on their own childhood memories.
• “If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would you be and why?”: This prompt could inspire ChatGPT to generate responses that explore the user’s imagination and allow them to escape into a world of fiction and fantasy.

Overall, creative prompts for ChatGPT can inspire it to generate responses that are not only accurate but also engaging and imaginative, taking users on an exciting journey through language and conversation.